Charles T. Beaird
| Charles Thomas Beaird | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Member, Caddo Parish Police Jury (now parish commission) | |
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In office 1956–1960 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 17, 1922 Shreveport, Caddo Parish Louisiana, USA |
| Died | April 18, 2006 (aged 83) |
| Resting place | Forest Park East Cemetery in Shreveport |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Carolyn Williams Beaird (1923-2006, married 1943-2006, her death) |
| Children | Susan Lynn Beaird (born 1943 Marjorie Beaird Seawell (born 1947) John Benjamin Beaird (born 1950) |
| Parents | James Benjamin and Mattie Connell Fort Beaird |
| Occupation | Industrialist, college professor, newspaper publisher |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | Pacific Theater of World War II |
Charles Thomas Beaird (July 17, 1922 – April 18, 2006) was an industrialist, newspaper publisher, philanthropist, and civic leader from Shreveport in northwestern Louisiana. A self-identified "liberal Republican", Beaird was an early champion of civil rights legislation.
Beaird was the son of James Benjamin Beaird and the former Mattie Connell Fort. His mother died six weeks after his birth, and his father succumbed when he was sixteen. According to his obituary, Beaird had to grow up quickly but developed a fierce intellectual independence.
He graduated from C. E. Byrd High School in Shreveport and attended Culver Military Academy in Culver, Indiana, where he joined the Black Horse Troop. He enrolled at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Michigan, joined the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, and transferred to the University of Texas at Austin. With the outbreak of World War II, Beaird returned to Shreveport and enrolled at Methodist-affiliated Centenary College. He met his future wife, Carolyn Williams (August 8, 1923 – January 27, 2006), while waiting to enlist in the Naval Air training program.
On February 5, 1943, he was commissioned into the United States Marine Corps in Corpus Christi, Texas. He and Carolyn married in Shreveport the next day, and he reported for duty in Fort Worth, on February 8. He served first as a pilot instructor and then led a fighting squadron assigned to the recapture and holding of the Philippine Islands flying B-25s and the OS 2U torpedo bomber. He attained the rank of captain and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Decorated Air Medal.
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